Spindle-driving mechanism.



A. H. MORTON.

SPINDLE DRIVING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1912.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

TLBEBT H. MORTON, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPINDLE-DRIVING MECHANISM.

Application filed May 31, 1912.

Specification of i'ietters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

Serial No. 700,552.

To all whom, it ma 1 concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT ll. MonroN, a citizen of the United States. residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of hlassachusetts, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Spindle-Driving Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement: in spindle driving mechanism.

The object of the present invention is to produce an improved spindle driving mechanism for use in spinning, twisting and the like machines The invention consists in the spindle driving mechanism hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of the frame, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same.

In driving spinning spindles with independent belts the tightness of the belts for the different spindles varies and as a conse quence in many cases unnecessary friction is caused, and an undue amount of power consumed. in driving the-spindles, while in other cases an insuliicient friction is secured to drive the spindle at full speed, resulting in defects in the yarn. In order to overcome these obj ctions, it has been proposed to drive the spindles with a belt, usually running around four spindles and n'ia intained at a constant tension by an idler pulley. The

desirability of the tension drive is so great that, for this and other reasons well known to those skilled in the art, mill men have considered it highly desirable to change over old frames so as to adapt them to use the tension drive. An insupeable impediment to changing over the greater number of old frames has been found to exist in the fact.

that the tin cylinder from which the spindle belts were driven is generally located with its axis in the plane of the spindle whirls so that, in order to adapt the machine to the tension drive it would be necessary to lower (or raise) the tin cylinder a distance equal approximately to one-half of its diameter in order to allow the cross belts to clear the cy 1 linderh :So .great a shift as this of the on cylinder would be inhibited by the construcfour spindles is tion of the frame. The tension drive, or its device for securing the advantages in old frames is so peremptorily required as to demand the production of some contrivance or arrangement for securing the result without shifting the position of the tin cylinder bearings more than the small distance permissible by the usual range of adjustment furnished. This result the present invention has secured in spinning and twisting frames, or the like, without changing the location of the bearings of the tin cylinder at greater distance than the fraction of an inch which equals substantially one-half the diameter of the shaft substituted for the tin cylinder, and at the same time securing all of the advantages of the tension drive without any substantial alteration of the heads or bearin'g supports of the frame.

Referring to the drawing, the main drive shaft 1 of the frame is located near the axis of the removed tin cylinder and within a distance therefrom approximately equal to one-half the diameter of such shaft; itcarries a series of driving pulleys or sheaves 2. one for each four spindles in the frame. Such sheaves are located in planes substantially tangent to the pitch circles of two opposite spindle whirls. The idler pulley or sheave 3 is supported upon the lever A- and pressed in the direction to exert tension upon the llielt by a counterweight. The bell crank ever 4: is mounted upon the supporting rod (3. The belt for driving each an endless rotmdl belt, as it takes the place of the belt" which has been used in driving the spindles. The lead of the belt is from one of the spindles, as 7, to the lower side of the sheave 2, around it and over and around the idler sheave 3, which is arranged with its belt-receiving 1 portion in the plane of the periphery of the sheave 2 and with its belt-delivering portion in (or below) the plane of the spindle whirls. From the lower side of the idler sheave 3 the belt runs to the spindle 8 opposite the spindle 7, thence around the spindle 9 and straight across the frame to the spindle 10, from which it passes onto the spin dle 7, where the description of the lead was begun. The transverse belt '11, beingthe portion of the belt between the spindle 9 and the spindle 10, and the portion 12 of the belt between the idler sheave-3 and the spin-' dle 8, lie in the plane of the spindle whirls and slightly below (or above) the drive shaft 1. It is to be observed that the portion 13 of the belt running from the spindle 7 to the drive sheave 2 extends downward from the spindle to the surface of the sheave, so that the pull of the belt upon the spindle hasa tendency to hold it in its bearing rather than to lift it up. It is apparent that the location of the main drive shaft 1 could as Well be immediately below as im-.

mediately above the plane of the transverse belt, the requisite being that the drive shaft shall be located close to the old position of the axis of the tin cylinder, but a little above or a little below it, in order to give clearance to the transverse belt.

The principal advantage of this construction resides in the substitution of a shaft for the tin cylinder, in substantially the location of the tin cylinder, without changing the location of the bearings of the tin cylinder beyond the range of adjustment pro-' vided in 'the machine, the transverse belt passing across the frame between the driving pulleys and through the space formerly occupied by the tin cylinder, no reorganization of the heads being required nor new bearing supports for the bearings of the drive shaft. A round belt may be used, if

, desired, thus avoiding the necessity for changing: the spindle whirls, and at the same time securing the advantages of the tension drive.

It has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the details of construction of the head combination, a drive shaft located close tov the plane of the spindle whirls, driving pul- "leyson said shaft, a tension pulley associated witheach driving pulley, and a belt for each drivingpulley running around a.

spindle or spindles on one side of the frame, to thedriving pulley, around the tension pulley, around a spindle or spindles on the other side of the frame, and thence across theframe between the driving :pulleys to the spindle or spindles first mentioned, substantially as described.

ALBERT MORTON.

Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN. An on AGKROYD. 

